Kaspar wrote:If the posse encounter a Fear (-2) monster in a location with Fear level 3, is the modifier to the Guts role -5?

That's correct.

Keep in mind, though, that for d20 rolls on the Fear Effects Table, you add only the Monster's Fear penalty as a bonus, not the local Fear Level. (So, using your example, if the Guts roll is failed add +2 to the d20 roll.)

Also, keep in mind that a player only needs a single success (not a raise or such) to stave off being Shaken.

Between that and the Grit modifier, the posse is usually only at a slight disadvantage when in really terrifying areas.

Even facing a really nasty creature (Fear -2) creature in an outright Deadland (-6), it's still entirely possible for a moderately experienced party to avoid being Shaken. True Grit and Agent/Texas Ranger help this, as does a solid Spirit die.

PlatinumWarlock wrote:Also, keep in mind that a player only needs a single success (not a raise or such) to stave off being Shaken.

Between that and the Grit modifier, the posse is usually only at a slight disadvantage when in really terrifying areas.

Even facing a really nasty creature (Fear -2) creature in an outright Deadland (-6), it's still entirely possible for a moderately experienced party to avoid being Shaken. True Grit and Agent/Texas Ranger help this, as does a solid Spirit die.

My party are all seasoned, one of them also being a Texas Ranger, giving them a Grit of +2 and +3. I plan to have them run into a creature with a -2 Fear modifier in a Fear level -3 location, and I think the -5 is a bit high, but if that is the rule I will follow it.

Fear checks are pretty rough, to be sure. They're also well worth spending bennies on, so as long as your group has a reasonable chance of making the roll, a single benny should do the trick for most of them.

Kaspar wrote:My party are all seasoned, one of them also being a Texas Ranger, giving them a Grit of +2 and +3. I plan to have them run into a creature with a -2 Fear modifier in a Fear level -3 location, and I think the -5 is a bit high, but if that is the rule I will follow it.

Well, lets do some math to put things in perspective.

Let's assume that your average posse member has a d6 Spririt (considered average in SW) and has a Grit modifier of +2. The Grit modifier negates the creature's fear rating, so we're left only with the -3 from the location.

Essentially, a PC in this position only has to roll a 6 in order to succeed on the fear check, even though they technically need to roll a 7. 7, in essence, becomes our target number, as 7-3=TN 4.

Because a 6 on the d6 will always explode, the 7 is gained automatically. The odds of rolling a 6 on a single d6 are just a hair under 17%, though we get to roll 2d6 independently, raising our odds to 1/3, without spending any Bennies.

Should we spend a white fate chip, our odds increase to 2/3, as we get a second set of independent 2d6. A red or blue chip, used to add a d6 value almost guarantees certainty, provided that snake-eyes isn't rolled (1/36 odds of that).

Mind you, this is all assuming an average PC in your game who hasn't buffed Spirit beyond the normal human average and has no Edges that contribute to avoiding fear or the like. Any shaman, blessed, or martial artist in your posse likely has a higher Spirit die, and Agents/Rangers get that flat +1 modifier to Grit.

I agree that the Fear effects can be brutal, but you're not really sticking it to the PCs by including the rules as written. If its something that's really worrisome, push them towards taking edges like True Grit or Élan (from SWD). Just remember, it is a horror game, after all. You're not doing it right if there's not a posse member with hot yellow fear running down their leg!

Kaspar wrote:My party are all seasoned, one of them also being a Texas Ranger, giving them a Grit of +2 and +3. I plan to have them run into a creature with a -2 Fear modifier in a Fear level -3 location, and I think the -5 is a bit high, but if that is the rule I will follow it.

Well, lets do some math to put things in perspective.

Let's assume that your average posse member has a d6 Spririt (considered average in SW) and has a Grit modifier of +2. The Grit modifier negates the creature's fear rating, so we're left only with the -3 from the location.

Essentially, a PC in this position only has to roll a 6 in order to succeed on the fear check, even though they technically need to roll a 7. 7, in essence, becomes our target number, as 7-3=TN 4.

Because a 6 on the d6 will always explode, the 7 is gained automatically. The odds of rolling a 6 on a single d6 are just a hair under 17%, though we get to roll 2d6 independently, raising our odds to 1/3, without spending any Bennies.

Should we spend a white fate chip, our odds increase to 2/3, as we get a second set of independent 2d6. A red or blue chip, used to add a d6 value almost guarantees certainty, provided that snake-eyes isn't rolled (1/36 odds of that).

Mind you, this is all assuming an average PC in your game who hasn't buffed Spirit beyond the normal human average and has no Edges that contribute to avoiding fear or the like. Any shaman, blessed, or martial artist in your posse likely has a higher Spirit die, and Agents/Rangers get that flat +1 modifier to Grit.

I agree that the Fear effects can be brutal, but you're not really sticking it to the PCs by including the rules as written. If its something that's really worrisome, push them towards taking edges like True Grit or Élan (from SWD). Just remember, it is a horror game, after all. You're not doing it right if there's not a posse member with hot yellow fear running down their leg!

It sounds brutal, but I really want to incorporate the horror feeling more than I have done so far in our game.

PlatinumWarlock wrote:Well, lets do some math to put things in perspective.

<snip>

Because a 6 on the d6 will always explode, the 7 is gained automatically. The odds of rolling a 6 on a single d6 are just a hair under 17%, though we get to roll 2d6 independently, raising our odds to 1/3, without spending any Bennies.

Not quite 1/3. The actual odds are 11/36 chance of success ~= 30.5% rather than 33%.

What happens if my posse meets the same fear causing creatures in different scenes? Do they still have to make a fear roll every time the turn the corner, or should I assume that they more or less are acclimatized to the creature in question?

In my particular case, I am running the adventure "For Whom the Whistle Blows" and my posse is about to enter Pickman.

It's worth re-reading the Core Rules Fear rules, especially the "Becoming Jaded" section. By those guidelines, you might require a Guts check for the first couple of monsters, but no more checks until something extra freaky happens.

Have fun!

Aside: Cutter's answer is very revealing about how he runs Deadlands, and why his play stories always seem to involve a large number of heart attacks and character deaths.

"Got a problem? I've got the solution: Rocket Launcher.""Not against a Servitor.""... We're all gonna die."